>> jury selection for sheriff ross mirkarimi's trial begins today. plus his ex-girlfriend who claims he beat her up is back in town. we will tell you why. >> what a weekend it was. now things beginning to cool down. maybe some rain coming our way, too. we will talk about that coming up. >> it looks like a little foggy this morning across the span at the golden gate bridge. the morning commute, a look at it coming up in minutes. good morning. it is monday, march 5. i'm juliette goodrich. frank has the morning off. >> i'm grace lee. it is 4:30. for the first time ever, a sitting president of israel is visiting the bay area. simone perez will be in the area till thursday. he arrived last night after a stop in washington. there he addressed the american israeli public affairs committee, holding a three-day conference. the main subject? the threat from iran. >> iran is evil. whole, morally, corrupt regime. it is based on destruction. it is a front to human dignity.

it is bent on world terror. iran is a danger to the entire world. >> here in the bay area, perez is expected to focus on innovation, especially in the tech sector. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is also in the united states, he will meet with president obama. and will talk about the growing tensions with iran. israel has threatened to use force to defend itself. over the weekend, president obama said that the u.s. will not rule out a military threat to prevent iran from developing a nuclear weapon. and 4:31 now. this morning, occupy oakland protesters at uc davis are ready to march to the state capital. they have been marching for the past several days hoping to send a strong message to lawmakers about cuts to education. this group will be joined by at least 10 other groups today in sacramento. a planned march and rally is expected to bring in an estimated 10,000 protesters, including bay area students

urging education reform. >> tuition across the board is being increased. we are out here today, to really demonstrate the length that we're willing to go. >> security has been increased over concerns about how the occupiers will conduct themselves today. jury selection begins this morning in the domestic abuse trial of san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi. and this afternoon, the judge will continue an evidence hearing to determine whether mirkarimi's ex-girlfriend should testify. gil diaz is in san francisco with more on what is happening today. good morning to you. >> reporter: hi, julia. good morning. mirkarimi's trial continues today with two separate events. the first one is the jury selection. it begins today. but the more intriguing part, as you mentioned, is the ex- girlfriend will be talking with the judge, to determine whether she will testify. christina flores came forward in january, claiming that mirkarimi abused her when they were dating about four to five

years ago. now, she was here on friday. she is from southern california. she came to talk to the judge privately. now, that meeting was continued to today, bought mirkarimi's lawyer had to leave for a prior commitment. mirkarimi has pleaded not guilty to three misdemeanor charges. including domestic violence battery, child endangerment, and dissuading a witness. he is accused of abusing his wife eliana lopez on new years eve in front of their young son. just last week, the judge ruled that the video tape of eliana showing her bruises and describing what happened will be allowed in court. now, christina flores' private meeting with the judge is at 1:00. with jury selection begins at 9:00 this morning. and once the trial begins, it should last no more than two weeks. back to you, juliet. >> thanks so much. warm over the weekend. is it going to last? >> here is lawrence with a

check of the weather. hi, lawrence. >> i thought i was going to walk in and getting a standing ovation today. you guys barely noticed me. >> he thinks that every day. >> thank you for the good weather, right? >> it was very nice. >> it was a nice weekend. and you said thank you. >> i wanted a standing ovation. oh, well. all right, folks. changes on the way. we are starting to see some fog moving along the coastline. the sea breeze is kicking in. that means we're in for cooler weather. 37 degrees right now in santa rosa. 48 in san jose. 45 in pacifica. with some dense fog there. and we've got some changes on the way. we've got the low to the north. this will drop in the bay area and bring with it a slight chance of showers late tonight and early tomorrow morning. maybe more importantly, it will usher in strong gusty winds and much cooler temperatures into tuesday. highs today, not bad. we will still maybe touch 70 degrees in fairfield. about 69 in san jose, and much cooler coastside, only 59 degrees, and clouds in pacifica. this traffic time, we're going to elizabeth. >> thank you, lawrence. and we're headed out to the golden gate bridge. and they went ahead and issued

a dense fog advisory. chp did. a different one from the national weather service. you will notice pretty thick across the span this morning. and visibility is an issue. heading into san francisco from marin. an earlier accident in novato, southbound 101 near atherton avenue. completely clear by the way. to the south bay, and 280 traffic looking great heading out of downtown. the major freeways across the south bay are moving at top speeds an other bay area bridges are just fine this morning, including a live look across the san mateo bridge. 13 minute drive time out of hayward. let's have a check of the bay bridge. free and clear as well. no metering lights. no major delays. and no delay at the incline as well. all of the are drive times for the east bay's most popular route force this time of the morning. so far in the green, including coming out of the altamont pass. and westbound 24 through walnut creek. that's traffic. back to you. >> thanks, elizabeth. it is now 4:35. and the death toll is now 39 for the storms that unleashed tornadoes in several midwest and southern states. 15-month-old angel babcock died of her injuries just yesterday.

her death came two days after a storm killed her parents and two siblings in indiana. in henryville, indiana, school has been canceled for the entire week. that's because of heavy damage to campuses that house students from elementary to high school. but still, somehow, people manage to find reasons for optimism. >> we came over the hill and saw the steeple was here. so we knew that the church was still here. and that to us was a symbol. and also to find god as people of faith. >> crews in the affected areas are working hard to restore units. 19,000 homes and businesses are still without power in kentucky alone. 4:36. there was a warning, 20 years before the deadly pipeline explosion in san bruno. a retired geologist for pacific gas and electric said he told the company in 1990 that the section of pipe that exploded in 2010 should be replaced. the are chronicle reports he

felt it was dangerous because it was built on fill that could settle. pg&e has not released the geologist's report. investigators are trying to determine if squatters in san francisco caused a fire that displaced 28 people. the fire started saturday night, at a building on oakland avenue. and quint street. it spread to three other buildings before firefighters were able to get it under control. neighbors believe squatters had been living in the building, where the fire started. it is one focus of the investigation. >> well, that is a fire hazard. number one. the housekeeping hasn't been done. a fire can start in there. and then also, the fire is actually spreading. this building is not occupied. there is no one there from the beginning. >> each a nearby church was affected. sunday services had to be canceled because all of the lingering smoke. 4:37. palo alto police want to know who slashed tires on dozens of

cars over the weekend. the first call of vandalism came in at 7:00 a.m. yesterday. officers found at least 50 cars with one tire punctured in the area of ventura court. police believe all of the vandalism happened between 2:00 and 7:00 a.m. on sunday morning. but so far, there are no suspects. tomorrow, the first of several public hearings will be held on proposals to raise fares on bart. the transit system wants to raise fares 1.4% in july. now there are several options. one calls for a 10-cent increase on all rides through the transbay tube. tomorrow's hearing will be at oakland's bart metro center aud tournament at 6:30 p.m. there is a hearing today on whether santa clara voters should have another chance to weigh in on the stadium for the 49ers. opponents to the plan have checked enough signatures to put the stadium financial agreements on the june ballot. the stadium authority is suing to block that vote. it claims the vote in 2010 was enough to approve the financial plan. and today, seven silicon

valley lawmakers plan to ask a state committee to audit san jose's pension plan figures. unions representing city workers accused mayor chuck reed of using inflated pension cost estimates to make a stronger case for employee concessions. reed has called the $650 million figure a worst case scenario for pension costs. by 2015. tomorrow, the scam will consider revising a pension reform -- the city council will consider revising a pension reform measure that is supposed to go before city voters. a shooting rampage. the outburst of violence at a security checkpoint in iraq. also ahead. >> stunning video of a helicopter crash in arizona. how both people on board walked away with barely any injuries. and are you a morning person? well, why coffee could actually be hurting your sleep cycle. ,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,

new this morning, we have more violence in iraq today. gunmen have killed 25 police officers in a shooting rankage. iraqi security officials say that the crisis began before dawn when the gunman kidnapped two senior police commanders from their homes. now the gang then gunned down officers at two security checkpoints. three of the gang members were also reportedly killed in those shootouts. but several managed to escape. on to russia, demonstrators plan a massive rally in moscow tonight. to protest the election of vladimir putin as president. he has a solid lead in yesterday's vote. but some international observers say that they saw ballot stuffing and other irregularities in about a third of polling stations they monitored. putin was president for eight years until term limits ended his run in 2008. and the republican candidates for president are spanning out across the country for the last full day of campaigning before super tuesday. 10 states and more than 400

delegates are up for grabs. front runners mitt romney and rick santorum will focus on ohio. one of the biggest prizes tomorrow. newt gingrich is campaigning heavily in the south and in tennessee. ron paul heads to idaho. rush limbaugh says he is sorry but more advertisers are leaving his show anyway. pro flowers is the seventh advertiseer to suspend ads on limbaugh's show since the host called a georgetown university student a derogatory term for testifying about birth control policy. limbaugh apologized saturday after he lost a number of advertisers and was criticized by both democrats and republicans. about 2,000 school employees in the sacramento area will be notified they could be laid off before the fall semester begins. the sacramento bee says three school districts will send out notices before the march 15 dead lipe. the layoffs are not a sure thing. but by law, they have to be notified if there is a chance that they will lose their jobs.

antioch schools are warning 20 employees they might not be returning in the fall. the contra costa county times reports more than half the layoffs will be for high school and middle school counselors. and the cuts would be expected to save the district about $1.4 million. and a law enforcement change for a bay area community. the san mateo county sheriff's office took over the millbrae police department yesterday. now, the move is aimed at saving the city money. an estimated $1.7 million and that's just in the first year. the city's 14 sworn officers will still serve the millbrae area. while partnering with current sheriff employees. >> i think i would prefer to have our local police department, the millbrae police department, but if we don't have the funds in the city coffers it probably makes sense to turn it over to the sheriff's department. >> all services previously done at the millbrae police station will remain there with the exception of vehicle maintenance. thieves have pilfered copper wiring leaving a long

stretch of the north bay neighborhood in the dark. police say more than 8,000 feet of copper wiring was discovered stolen in santa rosa friday morning. street lamps on fountain grove way were without power. the thefts likely occurred at night. and police are asking anyone to report suspicion behavior. 4:45. traffic going high-tech. the new plan to change the way you deal with police. and a california man sailing 8,000 miles by himself. how this journey of more than just exploring the world. a helicopter slams into the ground. the amazing surprise to the stunt gone bad. a great weekend. now fog has moved in along the coastline. we have some big changes coming our way. we will talk about that coming up next.

in arizona. what's even more unbelieveable: the two amazing video of a helicopter crash in arizona. what is more unbelievable is the two people on board managed to walk away from the wreckage. the former military helicopter lost power and crashed last week. police say that the pilots were strapped in tight with harnesses and helmets an protected by the ridge frame of the chopper. lucky guys. a gay couple in hawaii is now talking about their kiss that has gone viral. during a homecoming last wednesday, at a marine corps base, sergeant brandon morgan jumped into the arms of his boyfriend dalen wells. the image was framed by an american flag. and it received thousands of comments on facebook nationwide. they started dating two months ago. through a social networking site. >> we've known each other four

four years but we started to go out this last deployment. and i know how i felt about him ever since we've met. but you know. >> the military does have standards of conduct when it comes to public displays of affection but the couple says they were just celebrating like everyone else. during a homecoming event. 4:49. the frigid cold wilderness in alaska, for eight days. that's what 66 mushers are in for. in the iditarod sled dog race. they started their quest in willow yesterday. the dog teams, they will trek 1,000-miles to the old gold rush town of gnome. six former champs including last year's winner and the first to cross the finish line will get more than $50,000 and a new truck. a key part of argentina's famed glacier is gone. several large chunks broke off the massive ice wall. it is a major tourist

attraction in the argentine pat gonia. and the first time in four years a part of the glacier has fallen off. the glacier moves 5 1/2 feet a day. >> pretty amazing. >> hi, lawrence. >> love those images. >> what a beaute of sight around the bay area this week. as we had high pressure overhead and the offshore winds are blowing clear to the coastline and temperatures soaring in many spots well into the 70s. that looks like it is long gone. just a distant memory as we've seen patchy fog moving along the coastline and cooler temperatures are on the way for the bay area today. it looks like by the afternoon, it may sneak into the low 70s in the warmer spots inland. the cool sea breeze to the coastline and the clouds linger a little bit and maybe a couple of patches of clouds making their way inside the bay and cooler temperatures indeed. the high pressure is starting to weaken and slide eastward. have you this area of low pressure to the north that is beginning to drop down. that will usher in some much- cooler weather in the bay area, starting today. those temperatures are coming down. but now we've got a chance of some showers. as we take you through the day

today, clouds passing on by. low clouds to the coastline. and tonight the weak system is sliding on through and a chance of showers late tonight and early tomorrow morning. and then that is going to slide on through. once that moves on by, we will see some strong gusty winds around the bay area. temperatures for today, 69 degrees, still nice in san jose. and 65 in san mateo. and 64 in hayward. east bay temperatures in the 60s and low 70s. as you approach the bay, and the coastline, though, it is going to stay cool. plan on 58 degrees. and clouds continue toggling ner daly city. 58 and breezy in sausalito. and 63 degrees in berkeley. looking out over the next couple of day, major changes from the weekend. the chance of showers makes a return tonight and tomorrow. then a return to more sunshine and warmer weather the middle of the week. more clouds and slight chance of showers over the weekend. elizabeth, how is the traffic? >> it is not too bad. but it is 4:51 on a monday morning. that may have something to do with it. people tend to get a later start on a monday. a live look, near the dublin interchange. the headlights you're looking at, westbound 580 traffic and i

just checked your drive times, 15 minutes across the stretch. the altamont pass, and heading toward the doubling pleasanton area. now, overnight, we did have a couple of accidents here, within the last hour or so. including this one, that was just cleared to the shoulder. in oakland. westbound highway 24. the ramp to northbound highway 13. apparently a car actually ran off the roadway. they needed tow crews and cable to help get it out. it was just removed from the chp report. it looks like now all lanes are open. and again, the main lines of the freeway were never impacted. it was just on that connector ramp. northbound highway 13. elsewhere, the bay bridge, everything is moving fine this morning. no issues across the upper deck. are you heading into san francisco. and kind of a different story on the golden gate bridge. you can see that the fog is really thick this morning. and at one point they said visibility was down 250 feet across the span. chp did issue a dense fog advisory. and we just have one, just for the golden gate bridge. it looks like that north/south bridge is what is impacted this morning. otherwise, the millipitas commute looks great. westbound 237, and no delay.

and for silicon valley commuters, that is westbound 237, by the way. heading out of millipitas, headed toward san jose and all mass transit is on time including all bart trains and including those heading into downtown san francisco stops. remember kcbs, radio partners, you can find them at 106.9 f.m. that's traffic, back to you. >> thanks, elizabeth. 4:53 now. if you are a morning person, you might want to go easy on the coffee. a new study suggests that caffeine intake during the day is more likely to disrupt a morning person's sleep than a night owl. researchers trekked 50 college students. they had risk sensor tass revealed whether they woke up during the night, and more caffeine present in the early bird system, the longer they spent awake after dosing off earlier. sleepy transportation workers may be putting their passengers and those around them at risk. >> a new study from the national sleep foundation found one in five pilots actually admitted making a serious error due to sleepiness. >> sleepiness. >> it is early. >> and one in six truck drivers

said they had a near collision because of fatigue. and the results showed transportation workers are three times more likely to report job performance problems than the rest of the population. new technology could mean changes in some dmv rules in california. this month. an assembly committee is expected to hold hearings on a bill to allow drivers to use smart phones to show their proof of insurance during traffic stops. the bill proposed by a los angeles assembly man would also require the dmv to provide electronic versions of registration papers. a conservationist has begun an 8,000-mile solo sailboat journey to raise awareness for sea life. >> jim sullivan left marina del ray yesterday afternoon. he is headed for the philippines. for most of the trip, he will travel alone. in an unpowerred 30-foot sailboat. >> we're going to recreate the spanish galleon route of the 1700s. and for me, it is to bring awareness to the beautiful creatures that lie beneath the

sea. dolphins and whales and help let people understand that we shouldn't be slaughtering them and killing them worldwide. >> sullivan expects it will take about three months to reach his destination. and caught on camera. the amazing river rescue in portland. a man strips down to his underwear. and jumps in to save a drowning man in the river. bystanders performed cpr on the man after he was pulled from the river. he was not responsive. and medics eventually took him to a nearby hospital. we don't have any word though on his condition. all right. it is 4:55. vandals strike in the south bay. the unwanted surprise dozens of car owners woke up to. and jury selection begins in the sheriff's trial. the unfinished piece of business the judge will take care of today. it is a first for a sitting president of israel. a visit to the bay area. coming up, we will tell ul about the schedule for israeli president simone perez. winter weather could hold a

cleanup efforts as deadly tornadoes ravaged the country's midsection. i'm terrell brown in henryville, indiana. the latest coming up.

meet personally with mark zuckerberg. cleanup efforts in america's why he wants to meet personally with mark zuckerberg. cleanup efforts in america's heartland now in jeopardy. the new threat as tornado victims try to get back on their feet. great weather here this weekend. but things are cooling down big time. we will talk about that coming up. and we have a dense fog advisory this morning for the golden gate bridge. coming up, a check of other bay area bridges. >> good morning. it is monday, march 5. i'm juliette goodrich. >> frank has the morning off. >> i'm grace lee. it is 4:58. this is the first for the bay

area. a sitting president of israel is visiting here this week. lisa washington is in san jose where the visiting president is focusing on innovation. good morning, lisa. >> reporter: good morning to you, juliet. and to you as well, gris. this is going to be a very exciting day. it is the first as you said for the sitting president of israel, simone perez. touring the ibm facility here in san jose in just a few hours. as you said, the focus of the visit for the 88-year-old is innovation. specifically he wants to focus on the technological cooperation between the silicon valley and israel. he will be in the area through thursday and will have a jam- packed schedule. he was in washington yesterday, where he met with president obama and addressed the american/israel public affairs committee. the israeli president spoke about iran. >> iran's ambition is to control the middle east. so it can